COML1022 - World Film History 1945-Present

Focusing on movies made after 1945, this course allows students to learn and to sharpen methods, terminologies, and tools needed for the critical analysis of film. Beginning with the cinematic revolution signaled by the Italian Neo-Realism, we will examine the emergence of various new wave movements and cinematic trends from around the globe, from the French New Wave, New American Cinema, Hong Kong cinema, to the Taiwanese New Wave, and from puzzle films to observational documentary. There will be precise attention paid to formal and stylistic techniques in editing, mise-en-scene, and sound, as well as to the narrative, non-narrative, and generic organizations of film. At the same time, those formal features will be closely linked to historical and cultural distinctions and changes, ranging from the Paramount Decision of 1948 to the digital convergences that are defining screen culture today. There are no perquisites. Requirements will include readings in film history and film analysis, an analytical essay, weekly Canvas postings, and a final exam.